The Phoenix Lander earlier this week conducted its first wet chemical analysis through its Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer or MECA, which mixes the soil sample with water and bakes the mud to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit to test for chemical composition. The results show the martian soil had a pH between 8 and 9, meaning it is alkaline -- the kind of soil you could grow vegetables in if you brought it back to Earth, quickly tossed in some cow manure, and watered. MECA detected the presence of magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride but no carbon, the crucial ingredient necessary for life on Earth (alright, silicon might also work). Interestingly, JPL tells us that the mineral content of the soil is not much different from the upper dry valleys in Antarctica. What Phoenixâ(TM) wet chemical analysis shows is that there is no life in the soil sample tested by MECA. The Phoenix Lander's follow-the-water strategy for searching for organic compounds is, however, exactly the right strategy for NASA to pursue. Here's a hint, if NASA could land the Phoenix Lander on Enceladus or Titan or anywhere else in this sun system, the test results would likewise show that there is no life in this sun system other than on Earth. It takes more than liquid water for life to emerge. But I believe that our Milky Way galaxy is teeming with life. As Mulder used to say, "the truth is out there."
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The Phoenix Lander earlier this week conducted its first wet chemical analysis through its Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer or MECA, which mixes the soil sample with water and bakes the mud to 1,832 degrees Fahrenheit to test for chemical composition. The results show the martian soil had a pH between 8 and 9, meaning it is alkaline -- the kind of soil you could grow vegetables in if you brought it back to Earth, quickly tossed in some cow manure, and watered. MECA detected the presence of magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride but no carbon, the crucial ingredient necessary for life on Earth (alright, silicon might also work). Interestingly, JPL tells us that the mineral content of the soil is not much different from the upper dry valleys in Antarctica. What Phoenixâ(TM) wet chemical analysis shows is that there is no life in the soil sample tested by MECA. The Phoenix Lander's follow-the-water strategy for searching for organic compounds is, however, exactly the right strategy for NASA to pursue. Here's a hint, if NASA could land the Phoenix Lander on Enceladus or Titan or anywhere else in this sun system, the test results would likewise show that there is no life in this sun system other than on Earth. It takes more than liquid water for life to emerge. But I believe that our Milky Way galaxy is teeming with life. As Mulder used to say, "the truth is out there."